Reflections on Psalm 133

Psalms 133 (Contemporary English Version)


1. (A song for worship.) It is truly wonderful when relatives live together in peace.
   
2. It is as beautiful as olive oil poured on Aaron's head and running down his beard and the collar of his robe.
   
3. It is like the dew from Mount Hermon, falling on Zion's mountains, where the LORD has promised to bless his people with life forevermore.
   

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As this psalm points out, unity is a "good and pleasant" thing. But we should be careful about what we call unity, for a false unity can be a detrimental thing. If we think unity to be an absence of conflict we will be in for difficulty. In the name of unity, bad behavior is often permitted due to the thinking that to oppose it would be to break the unity. It is failure to confront bad behavior that will break unity more completely than anything else. So what often passes for unity is not good and is not a pleasant thing. Various scripture translations translate different words in the place of unity. Some, for instance, use the word 'peace,' others the word 'harmony,' and still others say 'get along' or 'when brothers can live together.' Regardless of the word used here, the same can be said about proper application. Neither is harmony or peace the absence of conflict.

True unity, harmony, or peace require a common purpose that brings persons together in unity around that purpose. It also requires a trust of those involved. This trust makes it possible for individuals to be vulnerable with one another and to call each other to account when any fail to promote the unity or demonstrate behavior that threatens it.

But look at the benefits. Besides the benefit of fulfilling the purpose that brings persons together in unity, there is the pleasantness it brings (verse 1), it is fragrant and holy as the anointing oil used by the priests (verse 2), and it is refreshing as the "dew of Hermon" (verse 3). These are descriptions that probably do not mean as much to us today as they did at the time this was written. But what may be of greatest significance is that the Lord "has appointed the blessing" where unity is found. This brings to mind Christ's sermon on the mount in which He said, "blessed are the peacemakers because they shall be called sons of God. This evidently refers to a unity possible only by those who are sons of God and who can look forward to "life forevermore."